Dishwashing machine



Feb. 29, 1944. G. K, BALLENTINE DISH-WASHING MACHINE Filed April 25,1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR George Jf. 25 4 1111510 BY Patented Feb.29, 1944 5 h UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 13 Claims.

This invention relates to dish-washing machines and particularly tothose of the type disclosed in my Patent No. 2,152,455 dated March 28,1939, wherein is disclosed a machine provided ment or out of thedrainage tube;j Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views through the diaphragmindicating the manner in which the same is flexed by the operation ofthe eccentric.

with one or more diaphragms vibrated or pul- 5 With reference to Figs. 1and 2 of the drawsated against the body of water to agitate the lugs,the apparatus is mounted in and supported same, by a suitable frame,preferably composed of a One of theobjects ofthe present invention isnumber of angle bars joined or connected by to provide a machine inwhich the water, or welding, so that a sturdy, vibration-proofsupsoap-and-water mixture, is agitated-and splashed l porting structureresults. In the drawings, sevby means of a vibrated or rapidly flexeddiaphragm moved in a novel and unique manner and operating inconjunction with a water-circulating means as well asradially-splashing*means, v whereby great efliciency in dish-washing isattained.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for maintaining aconstant circulation of the water through the dish-containing chamber;to agitate and transversely splash the water in the chamber, therebyinsuring rapid passage of the same over the dishes to be washed, and theimparting of friction thereover to insure complete and tfioroughcleansing of the dishes. A further object of the invention is to providein a. water circulating system, means by which entry of the water at thetop of the dish-containing chamber is had through a swingingly mountedspout, and to provide a splash plate disposed below the outletof thespout whereby the water flowing therefrom will impinge against saidsplash plate and be directed radially therefrom into the open. ends ofglasses, cups or similar receptacles held on a support around the splashplate.

Another object of the invention is to provide a water-circulating pumpand a'diaphragm-vibrating means operated by a single motor placed lowerin a sturdy frame and providing stability and reducing vibration to aminimum.

These and other objects are attained by the structure hereinafterdescribed and more particularly pointed out in the claims appendedhereto.

In the accompanying drawings, forming apart hereof, Fig. 1 is a verticalsectional view through a dishwashing machine constructed in accordancewith the invention; Fig. 2 is a view of the rear of the machine with therear cover plate of the casing removed to disclose the machinery; Fig. 3is a vertical sectional view through the dish-containing compartment orchamber; Fig. 4 is a plan view, with parts in section, of theeccentricforvibrating the diaphragm; Fig. 5 is a. sectional view throughthe valve for controlling the flow 01 W2 1' either into the compare. 55

eral cross bars I and 2, forming a part of the frame, are shown, thesame supporting the dishcontaining compartment or chamber 3, the samebeing provided with a bottom 4, front wall 5, side walls 5a, and a rearwall 6. The dish-containing compartment is formed with an open top sothat the dish-supporting rack 10 and the dishes and other receptaclessupported-thereby can be placed in and removed from the compartmentthrough the open top of the same. All of .the apparatus, including thesupporting frame, is contained within a casing or housing I, preferablyof enamelled sheet metal, and the top 8 of the housing, above the openupper end of the dish compartment, is provided with a hinged cover 9,pivoted at I0,- and provided at the front end of the machine with ahandle II by which the cover may be raised or lowered. When the cover isin its lowered position, as shown in Fig. 1, it seats upon the gasketl2, located on the rim or flange l3 of the upper end of thedish-compartment, so that the water contents of the dish-compartment orchamber are confined within the same during the operation of themachine.

The bottom 4 of the dish-containing compartment is provided with acentrally located outlet l4, coupled to the upper end of a verticallydisposed pipe l5 having its lower end connected to an elbow l6 attachedto a horizontally .disposed piping I1 leading to the intake I8 of. apump l9 secured to the floor or base 20 of the machine. The pump isconnected, through'the coupling 23, to the shaft 2| of an electric motor22 also secured to the floor or base 20 of the machine. Rubber orsimilar vibration-dampening material is preferably disposed between themotor and the floor 20, as indicated at 24. The outlet 25 of the pump l9connects to the lower end of the vertically disposed pipe 26, which hasits upper and connected to a three-way, manually-operated valve 21. Oneoutlet of the valve 21 connects to piping 28, which is coupled to anipple 29, leading'throughthe rear wall 2 of. the dish-containingchamber. Connected to the nipple II is a swingingly mounted spout 3|,provided with a downwardly directed free end 3|, adapted, when the spoutis in its extended position, as shown in Fig. 1, to direct a water flow33 downwardly and into the dish-containing chamber at substantially thevertical center of the same. When it is desired to remove the dish rack,or the dishes supported thereby, out of the dish-containing chamber, thespout 36 may be swung out of the way and toward the rear wall 6 of thechamber, as clearly indicated in Fig. 3.

Valve 21 is also provided with an outlet 34 connected to a pipe 35,which may be connected to the sewer, or it may be a flexible tubecapable of being directed into a sink. The valve body 36 is formed withthe passages 31 and 38 so that by turning movement of the valve,communication may be established between pipes 26 and 28 or between thepipe 26 and the drainage pipe 31. Thus, when the valve is in positionshown in Fig. 5, and the pipes 26 and 28 are i communication, theWater,- or soap-and-water mixture indicated at 40 in the dish-containingchamber, will be drawn by pump action out through pipe and piping l6,through the pump and forced up through piping 26 and 2] and throughspout 30 into the dish chamber, so that constant circulation of thesoap-and-water mixture through the dish chamber is assured as long asthe pump is in operation. When it is desired to drain the soap-and-watermixture completely out of the chamber, the valve 36 is turned to bringpassage 38 into registration with pipe 26 and passage 31 into line withpipe 35. This will direct the flow out through the drainage tube 35until all of the water has been drained out of the dish-containingchamber. Thus, the pump I9 is used for notonly circulating thesoap-and-water mixture through the dish-containing chamber but is alsoused for draining the same completely out of the machine. The valve head36 is manually operated in the manner set forth by means of the handle4|, conveniently located at one side of the machine casing, andconnected to the head of the valve by means of the rod 42.

For initially filling the dish-containing chamber with the requisiteamount of water, a filler opening 43 is provided in the rear wall 6 ofthe dish-containing chamber, said opening being connected to a faucet,or other source of water supply by means of flexible tubing 44 or thelike. At the lower portion of the rear wall 6 of th dish-containingchamber is provided a diaphragm 50, which is preferably composed ofrubber'or a non-corrosive and non-deteriorating rubber substitute. Thediaphragm is flexible and resilient and forms a substantial portion ofthe rear wall of the dish compartment or chamber. The diaphragm isclamped around its marginal edge to the edge portion of the openinginthe rear wall of the chamber by means of the annulus 52 and attachingscrews 53 so that a water-tight joint between the diaphragm and the wall6 of the dish-containing chamber is secured.

Substantially at its center, the diaphragm is attached to vibrating orflexing means, the same consisting of two rigid plates 54 and 55 betweenwhich the diaphragm is clamped. Extending rigidly from these plates isthe operating arm 56, provided at its end with the bearing 51, en-

gaging the pin 58 of the eccentric 59. This connection between the endof the arm 56 and the eccentric is such that said end of the arm ismoved through acircular path. Since the opposite end of the arm 56 isrigidly or flxedlycon nected to the diaphragm, the efiect of suchmovement is to flex or vibrate the diaphragm upwardly, forwardly,downwardly and. then backwardly, repeating this over and over withextreme rapidity. This rapid flexing movement of the diaphragm causes itto impinge against the soapand-water mixture 46 and not only agitate thebody of the water, but to also splash the upper portion of the sameupwardly and diagonally across the dish-containing compartment towardthe top and front wall of the same, as indicated by the plurality ofdotted lines in Fig. 1.

The eccentric 59 is mounted on the short shaft 62, rotated in thebearings 6| and 62, secured in properly spaced relation on the plate 63attached to the cross members 64 and 65 of the frame. A pulley 61 issecured on the shaft 60, said pulley being driven by the belt 68 whichextends downwardly and passes around the pulley 69 on the shaft 2| ofthe motor 22.

In Fig. 1 the dish rack 10 is disclosed. The

same is preferably composed of non-corrosive wire to permit unrestrictedpassage of the water between the dishes during the washing operation.Plates II and similar dishes, are preferably held upright between wiresupports 12,

while cups l3 and like receptacles are held angularly by supports H topermit the ready entry of the washing water inside of them. The dishes,cups and'other articles to be washed are arranged to be supported in therack in several tiers, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 and in spacedrelation, so that the water may readily pass between the variousarticles supported in the rack. At the top, the rack is provided with asplash plate 15 which may be in the form of a disk and is so locatedthat when the spout 30 is extended in the manner shown in Fig. 1, thedownwardlydirected end .32 of the same will be positioned directly abovethe splash plate 15 and the flow of water 33 from the spout will impingeagainst the splash plate and be directed radially thereby. as indicatedat 16 in Fig. 1. The rack is provided with suitable supporting wires I1,arranged around the splash plate 15 for the support of,

drinking glasses 81, cups or other receptacles which can be held on saidsupporting wires with their open ends directed toward the splash plate15. The water that is splashed radially by impingement against thesplash plate 15 will be thus directed into the open mouths of thereceptacles 18 to thereby reach the interior of these receptacles andcleanse the same.

From the foregoing, the operation of the improved machine will bereadily understood. In

setting the machine in operation, the dish-containing chamber l is firstpartly filled with the soap-and-water mixture, the water being permittedto flow into and accumulate in the chamber through the opening 43. Thedish-containing chamber is. preferably filled with the soapand-watermixture to a level slightly below the transverse center line of thediaphragm 50' or slightly below the diaphragm-operating arm 56. I havefound that with this amount of. water in the dish-containing chamber, acompletely effective operation is assured and a'vigorous agitation andsplashing of the water by the vibratory movement of the diaphragmoccurs. When the dish-containing chamber has been filled to I tainingcompartment but will also splash the water as indicated by the dottedlines in Fig. 1, across the compartment and between the dishes and otherreceptacles held in the dish rack. The water entering through the inletspout 32 impinging against the splash plate 15 will be directed radiallythereby and will be splashed into the interior of and around the outsideof the receptacles in the upper tiers of the rack and particularly thosesupported in the rack around the splash plate I5. Thus, thesoap-and-water mixture is not only in constant circulation through thedish-containing chamber, but is vigorously agitated and splashed, theco-operating action of circulation and splashing tending to cause thesoap-and-water mixture thus moved to frictionally operate against thesurfaces of the dishes and cleanse the same.

removed by the washing operation will also pass out of the machinethrough the drainage tube.

While I have shown and described an embodiment of the invention, it isobvious .that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broadenough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexedclaims. Various modifications may be readily made, particularly sincethe mechanism of the machine is adaptable of modification to machines ofvarious shape and size and for the washing of specific articles, dishesor other receptacles.

What I claim is:

1. In a dish-washing machine, a dish-containing chamber, water agitatingmeans comprising a flexible diaphragm constituting at least a part of awall of said chamber, means for flexing the diaphragm comprising aconnecting rod rigidly and non-pivotally secured at one end to thediaphragm and having its other end connected to an eccentric, and meansfor operating the eccentric to cause the same to move the end of the armengaged by it through a circular path of movement.

2. In a dish-washing machine, a dish-containing chamber, a wall portionconsisting of a flexible diaphragm, a plate secured to and whollysupported by said diaphragm, an arm rigidly and non-pivotally secured atone end to said plate, and eccentrically operating means connected tothe other end of said arm for moving the last mentioned end of the amthrough a circular path of movement.

3. In a dish-washing machine, a dish-containing chamber, a substantiallyvertical wall portion consisting of a flexible diaphragm, means forflexing said diaphragm to cause the same to I 3 splash the watercontents of the chamber upwardly and towards an opposite wall of thechamber, said means comprising a rigid element fastened to the diaphragmonly and having a non-pivotal rigid extension, and an eccentric to whichsaid extension is connected and which causes the diaphragm to be flexedupwardly, downwardly and forwardly.

4. In a dish-washing machine, a dish-containing chamber, a water inletand an outlet for said chamber, a pump interposed between the outlet andinlet for constantly circulating water through the chamber, splash meansagainst which water from the inlet is impinged to thereby radiallydirect said water flow through the chamber, and co-operatingwater-agitatingmeans for operation on the circulated water fiowcomprising a flexible diaphragm constituting a wall portion of thechamber and carrying a rigid extension attached at one end to aneccentric for flexing the diaphragm to cause the same to splash thewater contents of the chamber upwardly and toward the opposite side wallof the chamber.

5. ma dish-washing machine, a dish-containing chamber having a wallportion composed of a flexible diaphragm, a plate secured to and whollysupported by said diaphragm, an arm constituting a rigid non-pivotalextension of said plate, said arm having its end connected'to eccentricmeans for moving said end of the arm through a circular path whereby thediaphragm is caused to be flexed upwardly, downwardly and forwardly.

6. In a dish-washing machine, a dish-containing chamber having a wallportion composed of a flexible diaphragm and a rigid arm having one endwholly and non-pivotally supported by the diaphragm, said arm extendingfrom the diaphragm and having its other end connected to an eccentric.

7. In a dish-washing machine, a dish-containing chamber having a rearwall portion composed of a fiexiblediaphra'gm, an arm rigidly andnonpivotally attached to said diaphragm, an eccentric for oscillatingone end of the arm to thereeccentric shaft, a pump driven by the motorshaft, an outlet pipe leading from the chamber and connected to theinlet of the pump, and the chamber having an inlet connected to theoutlet of the pump. f

8. In 'a dish-washing machine, a frame, a dishcontaining receptaclemounted in the upper part ofsaid frame, a base in the frame below thedishcontaining receptacle, a motor mounted on said base, a diaphragmforming a wall portion for the receptacle, a rotating shaft supported inthe.

frame adjacent to the diaphragm, means for driving said shaft from themotor, an eccentric driven by said shaft, an extension rigidly andnon-pivotally projecting from the diaphragm and driven by the eccentric,and means for circulating a water flow through the dish-containingreceptacle, said means including a pump plates, and'means at one end ofthe arm-for oscillating said end of the arm through a substantiallycircular path.

- chamber for drawing water therefrom,

10. In a dish-washing machine, a dish-containing chamber, outlet meansat the bottom of the inlet means at the top of the chamber fordelivering the water into the chamber, a vibrated and verticallydisposed diaphragm within the chamber located between the outlet andinlet means for laterally splashing and agitating the water on its flowfrom inlet to outlet, an arm rigidly secured at one end to saiddiaphragm and means at the other end of the arm for moving said endthrough a substantially circular path.

11. In a dish-washing machine, a casing having its upper portionprovided with a dish-con-' taining compartment, an outlet in the bottomof said compartment, a pump to which the outlet is connected, an inletat the top of the compartment, the delivery end of the pump beingconnected to said inlet, a discharge pipe, a valve to which saiddischarge pipe is'connected, said valve being connected to the deliveryend of the pump and adapted for manual operation to cause water,

drawn from the compartment by the pump to be directed either through theinlet of the compartment or into the discharge tube, a motor within thecasing and having driving means for operating the pump, a flexiblediaphragm constituting a wall portion of the compartment, an arm whollyand rigidly supported at one end by the diaphragm and having its otherend movable through a circular path by an eccentric, means for drivingsaid eccentric from the motor to thereby cause the diaphragm to bevibrated and laterally splash the water in the compartment, removablemeans in the compartment for supporting dishes in several superposedtiers, and a splash device on the upper tier located adjacent to theinlet for radially splashing water flowing from said inlet, said uppertier being provided with means adjacent to the splash device forsupporting articles to be cleansed by splashing water from said device.

12. In a dish-washing machine, a chamber for holding dishes to bewashed, a dish-containing basket in said chamber having tiers in whichthe dishes are stacked, a water inlet situated over the top of saidbasket and directing a water flow downwardly and into the basket, saidbasket having an upper tier including inclined ra'ck elements forsupporting a plurality of openmouthed receptacles radially around thecenter of the upper tier with their mouths directed toward the center,and a fixed splash plate on said upper tier at the center thereof, saidplate being elevated above the rack portions and surrounded by the openmouths of the receptacles carried thereby and located directly below thewater inlet whereby the flow therefrom impinging against the splashplate will be directed into the open mouths of the receptacles tocleanse the interiors of said receptacles.

13. In a dish-washing machine, a dish-containing chamber, a verticallydisposed wall portion including a flexible diaphragm, means connected tosaid diaphragm for flexing it upwardly, forwardly, downwardly andbackwardly against a body of water contained in said chamber, with saidbody of water disposed below the connection of the diaphragm to itsoperating means, whereby said diaphragm is operative against arelatively small body of water.

GEORGE K. BALLENTINE.

